the malay archipelago-1-第44节

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　island　of　Savu　further　west；　who　presented　characters　very　distinct　from　either　the　Malay　or　Papuan　races。　They　most　resembled　Hindus；　having　fine　well…　formed　features　and　straight　thin　noses　with　clear　brown　complexions。　As　the　Brahminical　religion　once　spread　over　all　Java；　and　even　now　exists　in　Bali　and　Lombock；　it　is　not　at　all　improbable　that　some　natives　of　India　should　have　reached　this　island；　either　by　accident　or　to　escape　persecution；　and　formed　a　permanent　settlement　there。

I　stayed　at　Oeassa　four　days；　when；　not　finding　any　insects　and　very　few　new　birds；　I　returned　to　Coupang　to　await　the　next　mail　steamer。　On　the　way　I　had　a　narrow　escape　of　being　swamped。　The　deep　coffin…　like　boat　was　filled　up　with　my　baggage；　and　with　vegetables；　cocoa…　nut　and　other　fruit　for　Coupang　market；　and　when　we　had　got　some　way　across　into　a　rather　rough　sea；　we　found　that　a　quantity　of　water　was　coming　in　which　we　had　no　means　of　baling　out。　This　caused　us　to　sink　deeper　in　the　water；　and　then　we　shipped　seas　over　our　sides；　and　the　rowers；　who　had　before　declared　it　was　nothing；　now　became　alarmed　and　turned　the　boat　round　to　get　back　to　the　coast　of　Semao；　which　was　not　far　off。　By　clearing　away　some　of　the　baggage　a　little　of　the　water　could　be　baled　out；　but　hardly　so　fast　as　it　came　in；　and　when　we　neared　the　coast　we　found　nothing　but　vertical　walls　of　rock　against　which　the　sea　was　violently　beating。　We　coasted　along　some　distance　until　we　found　a　little　cove；　into　which　we　ran　the　boat；　hauled　it　on　shore；　and　emptying　it　found　a　large　hole　in　the　bottom；　which　had　been　temporarily　stopped　up　with　a　plug　of　cocoa…nut　which　had　come　out。　Had　we　been　a　quarter　of　a　mile　further　off　before　we　discovered　the　leak；　we　should　certainly　have　been　obliged　to　throw　most　of　our　baggage　overboard；　and　might　easily　have　lost　our　lives。　After　we　had　put　all　straight　and　secure　we　again　started；　and　when　we　were　halfway　across　got　into　such　a　strong　current　and　high　cross　sea　that　we　were　very　nearly　being　swamped　a　second　time；　which　made　me　vow　never　to　trust　myself　again　in　such　small　and　miserable　vessels。

The　mail　steamer　did　not　arrive　for　a　week；　and　I　occupied　myself　in　getting　as　many　of　the　birds　as　I　could；　and　found　some　which　were　very　interesting。　Among　them　were　five　species　of　pigeons　of　as　many　distinct　genera；　and　most　of　then　peculiar　to　the　island；　two　parrotsthe　fine　red…winged　broad…tail　（Platycercus　vulneratus）；　allied　to　an　Australian　species；　and　a　green　species　of　the　genus　Geoffroyus。　The　Tropidorhynchus　timorensis　was　as　ubiquitous　and　as　noisy　as　I　had　found　it　at　Lombock；　and　the　Sphaecothera　viridis；　a　curious　green　oriole　with　bare　red　orbits；　was　a　great　acquisition。　There　were　several　pretty　finches；　warblers；　and　flycatchers；　and　among　them　I　obtained　the　elegant　blue　and　red　Cyornis　hyacinthina；　but　I　cannot　recognise　among　my　collections　the　species　mentioned　by　Dampier；　who　seems　to　have　been　much　struck　by　the　number　of　small　songbirds　in　Timor。　He　says：　〃One　sort　of　these　pretty　little　birds　my　men　called　the　ringing　bird；　because　it　had　six　notes；　and　always　repeated　all　his　notes　twice；　one　after　the　other；　beginning　high　and　shrill　and　ending　low。　The　bird　was　about　the　bigness　of　a　lark；　having　a　small；　sharp；　black　bill　and　blue　wings；　the　head　and　breast　were　of　a　pale　red；　and　there　was　a　blue　streak　about　its　neck。〃　In　Semao；　monkeys　are　abundant。　They　are　the　common　bare…lipped　monkey　（Macacus　cynomolgus）；　which　is　found　all　over　the　western　islands　of　the　Archipelago；　and　may　have　been　introduced　by　natives；　who　often　carry　it　about　captive。　There　are　also　some　deer；　but　it　is　not　quite　certain　whether　they　are　of　the　same　species　as　are　found　in　Java。

I　arrived　at　Delli；　the　capital　of　the　Portuguese　possessions　in　Timor；　on　January　12；　1861；　and　was　kindly　received　by　Captain　Hart；　an　Englishman　and　an　old　resident；　who　trades　in　the　produce　of　the　country　and　cultivates　coffee　on　an　estate　at　the　foot　of　the　hills。　With　him　I　was　introduced　to　Mr。　Geach；　a　mining…engineer　who　had　been　for　two　years　endeavouring　to　discover　copper　in　sufficient　quantity　to　be　worth　working。

Delli　is　a　most　miserable　place　compared　with　even　the　poorest　of　the　Dutch　towns。　The　houses　are　all　of　mud　and　thatch；　the　fort　is　only　a　mud　enclosure；　and　the　custom…house　and　church　are　built　of　the　same　mean　materials；　with　no　attempt　at　decoration　or　even　neatness。　The　whole　aspect　of　the　place　is　that　of　a　poor　native　town；　and　there　is　no　sign　of　cultivation　or　civilization　round　about　it。　His　Excellency　the　Governor's　house　is　the　only　one　that　makes　any　pretensions　to　appearance；　and　that　is　merely　a　low　whitewashed　cottage　or　bungalow。　Yet　there　is　one　thing　in　which　civilization　exhibits　itself　officials　in　black　and　white　European　costume；　and　officers　in　gorgeous　uniforms　abound　in　a　degree　quite　disproportionate　to　the　size　or　appearance　of　the　place。

The　town　being　surrounded　for　some　distance　by　swamps　and　mudflats　is　very　unhealthy；　and　a　single　night　often　gives　a　fever　to　newcomers　which　not　unfrequently　proves　fatal。　To　avoid　this　malaria；　Captain　Hart　always　slept　at　his　plantation；　on　a　slight　elevation　about　two　miles　from　the　town；　where　Mr。　Geach　also　had　a　small　house；　which　he　kindly　invited　me　to　share。　We　rode　there　in　the　evening；　and　in　the　course　of　two　days　my　baggage　was　brought　up；　and　I　was　able　to　look　about　me　and　see　if　I　could　do　any　collecting。

For　the　first　few　weeks　I　was　very　unwell　and　could　not　go　far　from　the　house。　The　country　was　covered　with　low　spiny　shrubs　and　acacias；　except　in　a　little　valley　where　a　stream　came　down　from　the　hills；　where　some　fine　trees　and　bushes　shaded　the　water　and　formed　a　very　pleasant　place　to　ramble　up。　There　were　plenty　of　birds　about；　and　of　a　tolerable　variety　of　species；　but　very　few　of　them　were　gaily　coloured。　Indeed；　with　one　or　two　exceptions；　the　birds　of　this　tropical　island　were　hardly　so　ornamental　as　those　of　Great　Britain。　Beetles　were　so　scarce　that　a　collector　might　fairly　say　there　were　none；　as　the　few　obscure　or　uninteresting　species　would　not　repay　him　for　the　search。　The　only　insects　at　all　remarkable　or　interesting　were　the　butterflies；　which；　though　comparatively　few　in　species；　were　sufficiently　abundant；　and　comprised　a　large　proportion　of　new　or　rare　sorts。　The　banks　of　the　stream　formed　my　best　collecting…ground；　and　I　daily　wandered　up　and　down　its　shady　bed；　which　about　a　mile　up　became　rocky　and　precipitous。　Here　I　obtained　the　rare　and　beautiful　swallow…　tail　butterflies；　Papilio　aenomaus　and　P。　liris；　the　males　of　which　are　quite　unlike　each　other；　and　belong　in　fact　to　distinct　sections　of　the　genus；　while　the　females　are　so　much　alike　that　they　are　undistinguishable　on　the　wing；　and　to　an　uneducated　eye　equally　so　in　the　cabinet。　Several　other　beautiful　butterflies　rewarded　my　search　in　this　place；　among　which　I　may　especially　mention　the　Cethosia　leschenaultii；　whose　wings　of　the　deepest　purple　are　bordered　with　buff　in　such　a　manner　as　to　resemble　at　first　sight　our　own　Camberwell　beauty；　although　it　belongs　to　a　different　genus。　The　most　abundant　butterflies　were　the　whites　and　yellows　（Pieridae）；　several　of　which　I　had　already　found　at　Lombock　and　at　Coupang；　while　others　were　new　to　me。

Early　in　February　we　made　arrangements　to　stay　for　a　week　at　a　village　called　Baliba；　situated　about　four　miles　off　on　the　mountains；　at　an　elevation　of　2；000　feet。　We　took　our　baggage　and　a　supply　of　all　necessaries　on　packhorses；　and　though　the　distance　by　the　route　we　took　was　not　more　than　six　or　seven　miles；　we　were　half　a　day　getting　there。　The　roads　were　mere　tracks；　sometimes　up　steep　rocky　stairs；　sometimes　in　narrow　gullies　worn　by　the　horses'　feet；　and　where　it　was　necessary　to　tuck　up　our　legs　on　our　horses'　necks　to　avoid　having　them　crushed。　At　some　of　these　places　the　baggage　had　to　be　unloaded；　at　others　it　was　knocked　off。　Sometimes　the　ascent　or　descent　was　so　steep　that　it　was　easier　to　walk　than　to　cling　to　our　ponies'　backs；　and　thus　we　went　up　and　down　over　bare　hills　whose　surface　was　covered　with　small　pebbles　and　scattered　over　with　Eucalypti；　reminding　me　of　what　I　had　read　of　parts　of　the　interior　of　Australia　rather　than　of　the　Malay　Archipelago。

The　village　consisted　of　three　houses　only；　with　low　walls　raised　a　few　feet　on　posts；　and　very　high　roofs　thatched　with　brass　hanging　down　to　within　two　or　three　feet　of　the　ground。　A　house　which　was　unfinished　and　partly　open　at　the　back　was　given　for　our　use；　and　in　it　we　rigged　up　a　table；　some　benches；　and　a　screen；　while　an　inner　enclosed　portion　served　us　for　a　sleeping　apartment。　We　had　a　splendid　view　down　upon　Delli　and　the　sea　beyond。　The　country　around　was　undulating　and　open；　except　in　the　hollows；　where　there　were　some　patches　of　forest；　which　Mr。　Geach；　who　had　been　all　over　the　eastern　part　of　Timor；　assured　me　was　the　most　luxuriant　he　had　yet　seen　in　the　island。　I　was　in　hopes　of　finding　some　insects　here；　but　was　much　disappointed；　owing　perhaps　to　the　dampness　of　the　climate；　for　it　was　not　until　the　sun　was　pretty　high　that　the　mists　cleared　away；　and　by　noon　we　were　generally　clouded　up　again；　so　that　there　wa